


Coming Down With Something 2.0

by Headphone_Love



Series: Let's See Some Change [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Kageyama Tobio, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, I was inspired to rewrite this due to my own sickness, Idiots in Love, Let's see how my tagging changed too, Love Confessions, M/M, Mood Swings, Rewrite, Sick Hinata Shouyou, Teen Romance, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Volleyball Dorks in Love, both are oblivious, oh goodness, the word count is double of the old one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 23:58:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11196180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Headphone_Love/pseuds/Headphone_Love
Summary: Kageyama was about to speak until Hinata fell back completely. The setter cursed under his breath, reaching out to grab him. His hand cradled Hinata’s head as he hovered over his feverish teammate. Hinata’s eyes opened again, a small, hoarse laugh leaving his lips.“You look funny, Bakageyama,”





	Coming Down With Something 2.0

**Author's Note:**

> An edit of "Just another sick fic" to see how my writing has changed in about a year and a half. This was technically a two shot before, though I have condensed it to make it a slightly longer one shot. 
> 
> Made this more so to document the differences in my writing from earlier fics to now.  
> Keep in mind, this could still have errors in it, but the content is mainly what I was focused on ^^ 
> 
> The rewriting process took a few hours, as I was careful to read and re-read.  
> The final tally for edits: 916 edits in two-ish hours.
> 
> Enjoy~
> 
> ~HxL

The grey sky proved that, yes, the winter season had finally arrived and so had the cold front.

Despite this, Hinata was burning up from inside his winter coat. He wasn’t even wearing a scarf or a hat, and yet he felt like he could start sweating at any moment.

Hinata took in a deep breath, coughing into his palm. He tilted his head, wondering what could have caused this feeling so suddenly. When he had woken up, he had noticed that he was a bit warmer than usual, but the heater was on in the house since the weather had grown colder.

He scratched that off the list of possible reasons.

Overworking couldn’t be the cause of his feeling either, as they hadn’t even had practice the day before due to severe weather warnings.

With the two possible reasons debunked, he decided to ignore it, hoping it was only a passing cold. He got those often, and they usually resolved themselves in a few hours.

Hinata ruffled his hair and walked at a steady pace, his mother insisting he leave his bike due to how he almost had fallen over while leaving the house. That in itself set her off, and she had nearly canceled her meeting to stay home with him and Natsu. He had outright refused, telling her that he was probably having an off day and he would be better after practicing a bit to wake up.

Hinata could see in her eyes that she hadn’t believed him completely, but when her watch rang out to warn her she’d be late, she had graciously given him a ride down the mountain before heading off to work. The longer he thought about his words to her, the more he wondered if they would technically be classified a lie.

Arriving at the school was a godsend, as the more he walked, the more sluggish his body grew. His limbs were heavy, weighing him down with each step. He wondered whether anyone would be at the gym already considering he was later than usual. He was often the first to arrive, though lately, he had become the second or third.

Those few minutes were always what separated him from either winning or losing to Bakageyama.

"Oi, Hinata."

Hinata snapped from his thoughts and looked up to see the devil himself leaning against the door with Sugawara, the latter waving politely.

"Morning," Hinata greeted with a tired grin. His stomach knotted at that moment. He flinched, placing a hand on the area to try and relieve the sudden discomfort. It wasn’t the same pain he got before a match when he was nervous, but it was pretty damn close.

"You alright, Hinata?" Sugawara spoke, looking at him cautiously. Hinata let out a small laugh and raised his hands to offer the elder a thumbs up. He forced his tired grin to grow wider to show how ‘alright’ he truly was.

"Of course! I might be a bit off since we usually have practice every day," he assured, “The day off must have made me a bit stiff.”

Kageyama's eyes narrowed.

"You better not be getting lazy,” he warned, stepping closer to the middle blocker, “You still suck at receiving and your passing has only started to get better," he said seriously as Hinata stuck out his tongue in response. His already flushed cheeks grew redder at the setter’s comments, wondering why Kageyama always had to remind him of his weak points.

Kageyama had only complimented him once in their entire time as teammates, and even then the cheering from the crowd had been so loud that Hinata barely caught it.

He was far from picky about the type of praise he received considering he appreciated each and every word. With Kageyama, however, it was different. For some reason, receiving praise from him indicated that he was heading in the right direction. Kageyama was the genius setter and Hinata was still...

 _Shrimpy_.

Hinata's eyes seemed to burn with determination as he straightened his back. He parted his lips to speak, but Tanaka's voice rang out before he could. The sound of keys jingling like music to the middle blocker's ears.

"Tanaka-senpai!" Hinata greeted, irritation forgotten. The second year grinned, waving to the ginger and waving his hands as he bowed.

"Morning my awesome little kohai, ready for a day filled with volleyball and your senpai's grace?" he said with his hands on his hips and a boisterous laugh. Sugawara chuckled along sarcastically, pointing at the door with a narrowed gaze. Tanaka shuddered under his gaze.

"Mind opening the door before you praise yourself, you late spiker?" he suggested. His smile was soft, the opposite of the authoritative tone he used to scold the bald volleyball player.

Tanaka faltered, clearing his throat. He nodded, mumbling an apology and opening the door quickly, allowing the four into the gym. They all relished in the warmth minus Hinata, a small frown forming on his lips. It went unnoticed by his teammates, at least by all except the youngest.

Kageyama was surprised at the lack of hyperactivity the middle blocker displayed but kept it to himself. The dark haired setter was probably over analyzing the situation. Hinata could take care of himself, even if he was an idiot a good amount of the time.

Hinata removed his jacket and unneeded layers before beginning the warm-ups, stretching slowly and carefully. To anyone else, it would look as if he was being extra cautious, but to Hinata, it was in order to prevent getting too dizzy. The movement seemed to be a bit much for him, but he sucked it up. If he couldn't even do warm-ups who would trust him to spike?

 _'I can't let whatever is happening mess up my hits'_ he thought with a deep frown. He instantly stood and turned to grab a volleyball, bumping into Kageyama. He stumbled back, eyes half lidded until the setter's hands gripped his shoulders to steady him. Hinata's vision cleared after a second, and only then did he looked up. His brown eyes connected with Kageyama’s narrowed blue ones instantly.

"Watch it, dumbass," the other spoke first, Hinata's lips parting as he let out a loud sound of disbelief.

"Ha?! Bakageyama, you watch it," he retorted while waving his arms, Kageyama holding back a smirk. The setter rolled his eyes and walked passed him.

"Shut up. It is too early for your pointless shouting," he lectured. Hinata puffed out his cheeks but knew that it was true. Ignoring the way his heart pounded in his chest, he ran towards Karasuno’s reliable setter.

“Uh, Sugawara-san?” he said with a small tap on his shoulder. Said male turned to smile at Hinata, tilting his head.

“How can I help you, Hinata?”

“Receives?” Hinata asked, hand rubbing the back of his neck. Sugawara chuckled and nodded, ruffling his hair only to flinch away from the younger. He looked at his hand for a moment, a frown forming on his lips. He raised his eyes to look at the younger male in concern.

“Hinata, you are really wa—”

“Please?”

The white haired setter frowned, looking over at Tanaka who was practicing with Kageyama. With a sigh, he nodded.

“Sure, why not.”

Over the course of the next hour, more players began to pile into the gym. The last two were none other than Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, both taking note of how hard Hinata was panting. His cheeks were flushed—his entire body, actually—and he was practically drowning in sweat.

"Oi, shrimpy, why do you look so...disgusting?" Tsukishima asked as Hinata scrunched his nose. He looked down at himself, crossing his arms and trying to look as confident as he could. He offered a familiar grin and rolled his shoulders back.

"Just getting warmed up, Stingyshima," he insisted, earning a small smile from Yamaguchi and a scary grin from Kageyama. Seeing the two bicker had become entertaining for the entire team, especially since the malice that was there when they first met seemed to melt.

"Now, now, no need for the hostility," Yamaguchi interrupted, looking at the two before gently tugging on Tsukishima's jacket. "Tsuki, we should warm up," he reminded with a nod. The taller male seemed to agree. He followed his the pinch server willingly, leaving Hinata to continue his practice with Sugawara in peace.

The rest of morning practice was pretty uneventful, but Hinata’s morning classes were a different story.

Hinata had thought the shower would cool him down—and it had for a few moments. Once he was out of the gym and on his way to class, he could feel the heat that wouldn’t completely disappear deep within his chest. Even with that heat inside of him, he found that his hands were trembling. His, teeth chattering to the point where he would clench them to prevent anyone from hearing.

He was confused, and for a moment, he wondered if he was dying.

He brushed it off as a joke to himself, laughing with friends at one moment and feeling his vision blurring the next. He leaned against a desk, still laughing, though it broke off at the end. He was breathing heavy, a hand raising the brush his hair away from his forehead.

It was _hot_.

An arm wrapped around him—to steady him, he assumed—and he could hear his name being called. His response was unable to move past his lips, the words dying in the heat that was taking over his body.

He sucked in a breath and tried to force his body to stand up straight alone, though this only made his legs go weak.

Hinata's hands gripped his friends uniform, his own weight too much to handle. His legs gave out as he was lowered on to the ground so he could sit without the risk of falling. He raised a hand to cover his face, not wanting to show anyone how red it had become.

His teeth still chattered and shudders worked their way through his body. His eyes began to close slowly, the light of the classroom becoming blinding. He could feel his friend’s chest moving as they spoke, but he couldn’t look up at him.

"Call the nurse, Hinata is-!"

"I'm ...fine," he mumbled, though he wasn't sure if anyone had heard him. "Give me a moment, really I'm…."

He slumped against his classmate, eyes struggling to remain open. He could feel his body being lifted from the ground, but after that, he remembered nothing.

******

Sugawara let out a deep sigh, eyeing the clock on the wall. The ticking was enough to send the setter into a state of hyper-awareness, eyes scanning the perimeter for any sign of the familiar ginger. Ever since this morning, the middle blocker had been on his mind.

 _'He was burning up to the point where my hand felt it without even touching him.’_ he thought, crossing his arms and frowning deeply. Along with his discovery, Hinata had been the first to leave for the showers this morning instead of begging for another toss or a chance to block.

The thought alone was concerning.

“Sugawara-san!”

The third year turned to see Nishinoya grinning, running over to greet him. Kageyama was behind him, walking at his own pace with his hands in his pockets.

“Hehe, beat us again! You really are quick to the draw, aren’t you?” he said as he moved to lean against the wall. The first year nodded his head in greeting, leaning against the same wall as his eyes wandered around.

“I heard Ukai had some new plays he wanted us to check out?” Nishinoya commented, Sugawara nodding his head.

“He told Daichi, who then told me. That is why we needed to be earlier than usual today,” he explained.

 _‘Another reason it is odd that Hinata isn’t here yet,’_ he thought as he sighed. _‘Though I guess it is better if he doesn’t come with a temperature that bad...’_

Daichi arrived not even five minutes after the other players, brightening at the sight of Sugawara. When he saw the look of concern etched on his features, however, he grew serious. He cleared his throat to catch the white-haired setter's attention.

"Sugawara, anyone else here yet?"

The captain turned, bowing to the underclassman to show he hadn’t ignored their presence.

"Hmm, not yet. Tanaka was here earlier and is probably changing, but you are the first three to show up so far," he confessed. The libero made a face of confusion.

"I would have thought Shouyou would be here," Noya admitted, looking around curiously. "He is usually here yelling at Kageyama to toss to him by now," he teased, nudging Kageyama and earning a look from the first year setter. Despite it being a joke on his part, the rest two third years silently agreed. Hinata usually _was_ here by now screaming at Kageyama to toss to him.

The only one who didn't seem amused with this observation was the setter himself. He avoided acknowledging the joke and walked into the gym to prepare. Nishinoya followed the setter, telling him to lighten up a bit.

Daichi and Sugawara shared a look of concern.

"Well, maybe he got in trouble for sleeping in class again or something, he did look a bit tired earlier."

Daichi shook his head at the possibility. "Wouldn't they have told Ukai since any more violations like that usually mean no practice for a week?" he murmured in response. Sugawara bit his lower lip.

"Well, if anything I can ask around. I think it would be good for the team to know. Hinata wouldn't purposely worry anyone." Sugawara reminded with a chuckle. Daichi nodded in agreement, turning to the doors where the sound of Nishinoya and Kageyama echoed while they set up.

The captain knew Hinata wouldn't want anyone to worry, but it didn't stop him from actually feeling worried for his kohai. It was unusual for him to be late, especially to anything volleyball related.

"I know, maybe check around the office...if he did get a violation that is where he would be," Daichi offered. He made his way to the gym, Sugawara heading towards the office to double check that Hinata was not in trouble.

Daichi’s eyes scanned his teammates, though they landed on Kageyama once he noticed the expression on his face. It was similar to his usual scowl, however, it looked manufactured. It was as if he was trying to convince anyone watching him that he wasn’t secretly eyeing the door every few minutes for a certain someone.

The captain chuckled, shaking his head at the first year’s lack of expression control. He understood why Kageyama hated being out of the loop, but it was worse when it was about Hinata. When it came to the orange haired middle blocker, Kageyama was always on high alert. If someone even looked at Hinata in a weird manner, the fellow first year would probably chew them out.

Hinata was Kageyama's spiker, no matter what anyone said. The same worked in the reverse with Kageyama being Hinata's setter. Separate, they were decent but lacked in many areas.

Together they were a force to be reckoned with despite the few kinks within the cogs here and there.

The team slowly began arriving, calling out their greetings as they waited for Ukai to arrived. Once he did, though, Sugawara arrived right after him.

“Hear anything?” the captain asked as soon as Sugawara sat beside him. The white-haired setter held up his phone to show the message he had gotten.

“He didn’t get in trouble, however…”

******

"Alright, let us get ready for practice," Daichi shouted, clapping his hand to rile the team together. Ukai raised a brow at the sudden declaration, not even having finished erasing the whiteboard yet. He had understood that Hinata wouldn’t be there for the recap on plays, but it was odd that he still hadn’t arrived.

"Where’s the shrimp?" Ukai questioned, Daichi rolling his shoulders to warm up.

"Ah, well it seems that…," he began, only for the door to slam open.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Hinata shouted as he panted heavily, Sugawara and Daichi's eyes going wide. They looked at each other in confusion, eyes returning to Hinata as he ran over.

Hinata's hair was a bit messier than usual, eyes sunken and skin pale. Other than that, he seemed perfectly fine with the stupid grin on his face and arms crossed.

"What? But aren't you....?" Sugawara mumbled as Hinata raised a brow.

“Aren’t I what?” he asked, raising his arm to cough into his sleeve. “I'm ready to practice.”

Daichi didn't seem convinced and stepped closer to place a hand on his shoulder. He pushed down gently, noticing the way that Hinata’s knees buckled under the minuscule amount of weight. Sugawara immediately wrapped his arms around the younger male to keep him upright, frowning at the sudden change.

Sugawara looked at Daichi, said male shaking his head as if saying he wouldn't allow Hinata to play in this condition.

"Hinata, you should still be resting…" Sugawara whispered. Hinata ignored the heat leaving Sugawara’s body, shaking his head in refusal.

"I am fine, just a bit warmer than usual," Hinata tried to explain.

Kageyama, noticing the scene, walking over and tilted his head.“Is something wrong?” He questioned.

“Yes/No!”

Sugawara and Hinata eyed each other again, the younger’s determination not making the third year falter.

“Hinata is sick,” Sugawara stated as the ginger huffed.

“I really am no—”

Kageyama leaned forward and placed his forehead against Hinata’s own. After the initial shock of the action, Hinata felt his face begin to burn. This was different than the burn he had been feeling all day. Backing away, he pointed at Kageyama with a flustered expression. The setter raised a brow as Tsukishima snickered and whispered a "clueless" under his breath.

"W-What is the big idea?! You wanna fight?!" Hinata shouted as he swayed, the hoarseness in his voice not going unnoticed by any of his teammates.

"I didn't know that idiots could get sick," Tsukishima teased as Hinata looked at him in confusion, tilting his head.

"Sick? I'm not sick!" he denied. Kageyama looked at him as if he were truly an idiot while Tsukishima let out a chuckle.

"Wait, so you're like this and didn't realize you probably have a fever?" he asked as Hinata blinked and tilted his head again. "Wow, you have outdone yourself. Bravo," the blond murmured in mock awe. Kageyama cleared his throat and cut into the conversation, gaze zeroing in on the orange haired teen.

"You're burning up...you have a cough," Kageyama listed as Sugawara piped in.

"And you passed out earlier.”

The younger setter tensed at the news.

Hinata waved his arms to deny the claim. "I didn't pass out! I simply...took a...a nap!  I'm fine now and well rested, see!" he said as he stood and jumped with all his might, grinning at the others. When his feet touched the ground he stumbled sideways into Sugawara. His stomach turned and he bit his lip to try and keep a straight expression.

"Think about this, do you really want to make everyone else sick because you were too stubborn to admit you caught something?" Ukai asked as the others nodded in agreement. Asahi stepped forward and ruffled Hinata's hair gently. The ginger looked up at the bearded third year, faltering under his kind gaze.

"We can't afford to lose a teammate during a match," Asahi said with an encouraging smile. "The sooner you accept you're sick, the faster you can get better and return," he promised, as Hinata parted his lips to argue. His mind was too clouded to form an argument, and so he opted for nodding slowly.

"Alright," Hinata agreed, not sounding happy about it in the slightest. Kageyama frowned once the other dropped his act, noticing how exhausted he sounded.

_'Had he been faking this entire time?'_

His eyes narrowed at the thought. He was not a fan of being lied to or deceived.  

He gripped Hinata's arm and pulling him closer so suddenly that the shorter male almost lost his balance.

"I'll take the idiot home, we can't practice our quick so might as well make sure he gets up the mountain safe. We'll be leaving first," he stated as the others nodded. Yamaguchi offered a wave to Hinata, Tsukishima nodding towards him in farewell for the day.

Once they were gone, the team shot each other unsure gazes. Their thoughts were all the same, revolving around whether or not Kageyama would be able to handle a sick Hinata.

_'Hopefully, they don't kill each other today'_

* * *

"You're moving too slowly, idiot," Kageyama called out as Hinata looked up. The walk to the locker room had been brutal considering it wasn’t even that far from the gym. Hinata wondered whether he would be able to make it all the way home.

Even now, just standing with Kageyama as he packed made him want to lie down for the next few hours.

"Ah, sorry," Hinata replied with a bow of his head.

“Don’t be so condescending,” the setter grumbled.

The middle blocker offered a weak glare, sticking his tongue out. “Don’t assume I'm trying to mock you,” Hinata retorted, entering a coughing fit only a moment after.

Kageyama cursed and leaned forward, rubbing his teammate on the back awkwardly. While he wasn’t thrilled about missing practice, he could tell by his partner’s tone that he wasn’t either. At first, he hadn’t been sure if Hinata sounded off because of the fever or because of the disappointment he felt due to missing practice. Either way, he was positive that he didn’t enjoy an unhappy Hinata.

“You suck at helping sick people,” Hinata commented earning a rough slap on the back from the setter. He whined about the pain, though Kageyama turned away from him with a scoff.

"Seriously, how did you not know you were sick? That is why you were off this morning too, wasn't it?"

Hinata shrugged and wrapped his arms around himself. He eyed his bag with a pout, shifting from foot to foot. "I still don't think I am sick, just a bit....sluggish," he insisted. He was about to continue but instead placed a hand on his forehead. Kageyama frowned at the action, grabbing Hinata’s shoulders to steady him as he wobbled. He expected Hinata to brush him off and claim he was fine again, though instead was met with the ginger’s forehead pressing against his chest.

Kageyama straightened, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Sorry," Hinata spoke weakly as the setter began to debate his next course of action. Sighing, he steadied Hinata, quickly turning around. He leaned down, looking over his shoulder and motioning for the other to climb on.

"You can barely walk from the gym to the locker room....I’ll carry you for today. Next time avoid waiting this long to tell someone you aren't feeling well."

Hinata climbed on almost automatically. It was not the first time Kageyama had ever carried him. There had been that one time where Hinata landed wrong and had to stay off his ankle for a week and a half. Or that time where he had fallen asleep on the bus and Kageyama carried him home and spent the night. Oh, and that time where Hinata fell off his bike and scraped up his knees. That time he could have walked but Kageyama was too much of a worry wart to even allow him a word in.

The setter was surprised at the heat radiating off of his spiker, lifting the other's bag and his own easily. He began the hike to Hinata’s house, keeping the pace slow to avoid rattling the sick teen. The walk itself wasn’t bad considering it was cool out, though even with the wind blowing Kageyama felt nothing but warmth. Hinata was practically a heater.

"You're shaking," Kageyama commented as an attempt to fill the silence. Hinata offered a choked breath which the setter believed was supposed to be a laugh.

"Gee, hadn't noticed," Hinata whispered, Kageyama feeling him tremble.

"Amazing how you have the energy to still talk back."

Hinata coughed but held his breath, trying to keep it in. Kageyama felt his irritation rise at the action. Hinata was a bit too considerate sometimes.

"Don't hold anything in, you dumbass," Kageyama scolded.

The middle blocker tightened his grip. "If I cough on you, you might get sick," he said sleepily. He shut his eyes, continuing after a moment to compose himself. “If I got you sick, I would feel really bad...because the team really needs you.”

Kageyama snorted. “They need you too,” he replied quietly. Hinata didn’t respond, focusing on his breathing. Kageyama could feel the way his chest moved up and down, sometimes more dramatically than usual. He figured it was because it was getting harder for Hinata to breathe normally, and so he sped up his pace to be on the safer side.

 _'You better not be dying'_ Kageyama thought as he reaching the other's house, wondering if anyone was home. He knocked: once, twice, three times.

Nothing.

"My key is in my bag," Hinata whispered, unintentionally nuzzling the other's neck as he tried to get more comfortable. The setter stiffened at the contact. He was positive that the warmth he felt was all Hinata’s. His own cheeks were _not_ getting warm, nor was his heart beating faster because of the skinship. It was all because of the walk and the sick kid he carried.

Kageyama cleared his throat. “You’ll need to stand for a moment while I dig through your bag,” he said, Hinata letting out a whine.

“I don’t want to,” Hinata replied, holding onto the setter tightly. “Don’t make me.”

Gritting his teeth, for more reasons than one, Kageyama relented and allowed him to remain on his back. He dropped the bags onto the ground, shuffling through Hinata’s. He did his best to ignore the way that Hinata would constantly shift, cheek pressing against his neck rather affectionately.

After the grueling process of finding the damned key, Kageyama tossed the bags into the house first.  “Alright, now you need to get off so I can get your shoes off.”

Hinata frowned, but nodded and slowly opened his eyes. Kageyama set him down carefully, watching as he closed his eyes again after he sat on the ground. The setter removed his own shoes first, moving to Hinata’s afterward.

“You are being so nice...it’s weird,” Hinata murmured. Kageyama looked up to see Hinata staring at him with half open eyes, a small smile on his lips. “But I like it.”

Kageyama watched him with wide eyes, wondering how high his fever truly was for him to look at him in such a way.

“Ah, that was weird,” Hinata said with a weak laugh, raising a hand to cover his flushed face. He leaned back, letting out a soft breath. “Sorry.”

Kageyama was about to speak until Hinata fell back completely. The setter cursed under his breath, reaching out to grab him. His hand cradled Hinata’s head as he hovered over his feverish teammate. Hinata’s eyes opened again, a small, hoarse laugh leaving his lips.

“You look funny, Bakageyama.”

The setter flushed, looking away as he pulled Hinata back into a seated position. He quickly removed his shoes and lifted Hinata to bring him to his bed. The last thing he needed a repeat of the walk to the club room.

Hinata gripped at his shirt and took in a deep breath. “Your heart is beating fast.”

“Shut up, idiot.”

“It’s okay,” he said softly, Kageyama squinted down at him, “Mine is too."

******

Hinata shifted, the sweat forming on his face an indication that this fever was probably at its peak. Kageyama figured that the blanket wrapped around him wasn’t helping him get any cooler, but remembered hearing from his mother that the best way to get rid of a fever was to sweat it out.

“Hot," Hinata rasped.

“I know,” Kageyama said with a deep breath. “But it’ll help you get better faster,” he promised, though he honestly wasn’t sure.  

Hinata wasn’t looking too good, having gotten even paler in the last hour. Realizing how serious this could be, Kageyama couldn’t help the concern that flooded his features. He pushed some hair from Hinata’s face.

"Stay here, I'll go and get some medicine. It's obvious your body can’t fix whatever is making you sick by itself," he said. He moved to stand from his seated position, but Hinata grabbed his wrist. His eyes were wide and, dare Kageyama say it, scared. It shocked the setter into remaining in place.

"I-I don't," Hinata started as the setter narrowed his eyes. He frowned to face the sick teen, waiting for him to continue. "I don't need medicine...so just…."

"Liar," Kageyama interrupted, but he didn't make another motion to leave. He slowly crouched down, placing his free hand atop Hinata’s. "Either tell me the real reason you stopped me or I'll assume you're trying to get out of taking out of the medicine," he said, a small smirk on his lips. His tone was teasing, but that was mainly to lighten the mood. He didn’t like the how Hinata looked so scared. His partner was the least fearful person he knew, so to see him like this because of a stupid fever was unnerving.

Hinata stared at him with a look of hesitation. He looked away, hiding beneath the blanket so only his eyes were visible. "You aren't...leaving right?" he asked softly. Kageyama raised a brow, smirk falling from his lips. Did the moron think he was going to leave him alone with a high fever? Was he that far gone?

With a deep breath, the setter relaxed. He sat in the chair and scooted it closer to Hinata’s bedside. "No, dumbass," he assured. "But if you want to get better, you need medicine which is in your bathroom from what I remember," he explained as if he were talking to a child. "So give me 2 minutes at most, and I will be back... alright? I won’t leave the house."

Hinata hesitated but allowed his grip to loosen. His hand let go of the setter’s wrist, sneaking its way beneath the blanket. Hinata kept the blanket on his face, and Kageyama couldn’t help but wonder if he could even breathe properly. Ignoring the need to ask the question, he left towards the bathroom. He looked through the cabinet for something that worked on fevers, knowing he had seen some in here the last time he had visited due to Natsu being sick.

Most of the medicine was strictly for headaches or upset stomachs and Kageyama made a mental note to ask Hinata if his headaches are that frequent that he needs three bottles of medication for them.

Back in the room, Hinata freed himself from the confines of his blanket in order to remove his club jacket. He tossed it across the room before he curled up again, face scrunched in displeasure. His vision was still hazy, but he was glad that he had Kageyama around to help. He wasn’t sure he believed he was sick, but the heat that surrounded him even without the blankets was enough to push him into slowly believing it.

He snuggled back into the blanket and shut his eyes. Behind his eyelids, he could see himself practicing, his body aching both due to the fever and for the need to be active. It was still upsetting that he was unable to participate, and if he felt that way then he wondered how Kageyama was feeling.

They weren’t called volleyball idiots for no reason.

His lips parted, about to apologize to the empty room out of habit until Kageyama returned with two bottles in hand. "Hey, you think you are well enough to try and hold one of these down if I gave it to you?" the setter asked, tilting his head as he read the labels. Hinata made a face, eyes closing in refusal.

“I’m fine,” Hinata muttered as Kageyama rolled his eyes. He moved towards his partner and pulled the blanket off in one swipe, a gasp leaving the ginger’s lips. He wrapped his arms around himself, a shudder moving through his body. While it was nice to feel the air around him, it made his heart flutter in a weird way. It was almost like the feeling one gets when riding a rollercoaster and having their stomach drop.

“Pick one. The pill or the syrup,” Kageyama demanded, eyes narrowed. “You can’t get out of this.”

Hinata moved to sit up, panting from the action itself. He eyed the bottles in Kageyama’s hand, pointing to the strawberry flavored syrup. He hated pills more than he hated artificial flavoring.

"Good. Now open your mouth,” Kageyama ordered.

Hinata pressed his lips into a thin line. He _knew_ he should take it so he could get better, but the way his stomach lurched showed that his body didn’t have that train of logic. He shook his head, looking away from the setter.

“Hinata…” the younger male warned, but Hinata didn’t turn to look at him.

It was only when he was grabbed by the shoulder and pushed down onto the bed by his teammate did he realize that one, Kageyama’s eyes were actually a really hypnotizing shade of blue, and two, the setter looked genuinely concerned for him. His breath got caught in his throat as the setter stared him down.

“Either you take this by yourself at your own pace, or I force you to choke it down.” 

The words were ignored completely, Hinata leaning up and pressing his lips to the corner of Kageyama’s. The setter froze instantly, eyes growing wide. His lips parted and closed, like a fish begging for food.

“Hehe, cute,” Hinata whispered as he leaned back down. Kageyama was completely red in the face, shoving the bottle of syrup toward the middle blocker.

“Take the damn medicine!”

******

Two spoonfuls and some gagging later, Hinata was lying back on the bed with his blanket, arm over his eyes. The light was giving him a headache, and he wondered if Kageyama would be upset at him if he asked him to shut it off. He removed his arm to look at his partner, slightly thrown off by how calm he looked. “Why…?”

Kageyama blinked, snapping out of his thoughts and tilting his head. “Why, what?”

Hinata grimaced. "Why....did you stay? What about practice...?" Hinata mumbled as he turned to lay on his side, eyeing Kageyama in pure confusion. His cheeks were still flushed, but Hinata’s eyes were someone open now. The setter took this to mean that the medicine was working its magic.

"What do you mean why did I stay? You told me to," he said as he crossed his arms. He avoided the elder's look, feeling silly for using Hinata’s words against him.

Hinata nodded, accepting the answer and shutting his eyes again. He parted his lips, though whatever he had wanted to say was replaced with a coughing fit. It was worse than the one he had earlier, Kageyama noted, his small body shuddering with each one. He was leaned over and grabbing onto Hinata’s hand in an instant, ready to pull him up so he could tap him on the back.

Hinata shook his head slowly, a weak smile forming on his lips. "M' good" he promised as Kageyama let out a breath. Hinata would surely be the death of him.

"You aren't."

"I am."

"You aren't."

Pause. **Silence** . _Sneeze_.

"I am."

Kageyama glared half-heartedly, rolling his eyes and accepting the declaration. It was below him to argue with Hinata when the kid could barely argue back. "Seriously,” he said with a shake of his head, “How did you not notice you had a fever when you feel like you are burning up?"

Hinata took a moment to process the question. "I...never really get sick that often," he explained quietly. He was curled into a ball at this point, breathing softly. "I hated being sick because it would make my mother and Natsu worry."

Kageyama relaxed, nodding his head at the statement. He kind of understood where Hinata was coming from, but in reality, the setter never really got sick. Whenever he did,  he took it as a day off and still ended up playing volleyball in his backyard. He would end up getting better after working himself to the bone and ‘sweating out all the toxins’, as his mother called it.

Kageyama hated being sick because he was slower and his mind was a lot foggier.  Hinata's reasoning seemed to be based on something more personal than his own.

"They are family, they're supposed to worry," Kageyama insisted as Hinata chuckled and looked up from the sheets. His eyes were definitely different, and Kageyama almost wondered if this was the same idiot that always stole a bite from his meat bun after practice every day. "They need to focus on themselves."

Kageyama's eyes grew confused.

"If they focus on me, they will have to drop everything. My mother would have had to come home if she knew about me getting sick, and Natsu would have had to get someone else to pick her up which means she wouldn't be able to go hang out at her friend's house," he mumbled. A tiny sneeze left him before he continued, Kageyama wanting to chuckle at the tiny sound but finding Hinata's words swirling in his mind.

"Stop being so caring of everyone else when you are in this state, dumbass," Kageyama snapped. Hinata flinched, staring at the setter in confusion. Whether it was the fever that overheated him or the anger at the setter’s words, he wasn’t sure.

Hinata sat up, shoving the blankets off and grabbing the front of Kageyama’s shirt. He pulled him close, the setter tensing immediately and ignoring the urge to protect his lips.

“What the hell are you doing?” Kageyama ordered, Hinata trying to focus in on his face.

"I can care if I want to, Bakageyama,” he spoke with a soft growl. “Like you, for example. I'm frustrated because you could be at practice but instead, you're here. You must think this is such a waste of time," he said with a hollow laugh. “This...is so annoying.”

Kageyama flinched at the tone. He had never seen Hinata act in such a negative manner, and for some reason, the words pissed him off. He reached forward to grabbed Hinata’s shirt, tugging him forward as well. He was close enough to feel the heat from Hinata’s fever against his own face. “I stayed because I wanted to,” he clarified. “I do not think this is a waste of time. Don’t put words in my mouth,” he said with a bite to his tone. “If you feel so damn bad, hurry up and get better!”

“I'm trying!” Hinata shouted, voice breaking off at the end. Kageyama straightened when Hinata raised his head. Even from beneath Hinata’s bangs, Kageyama could see the faintest trace of tears forming in his partner’s eyes.

“Hinata…” Kageyama said quietly, unsure of what to do to make his teammate feel better. Their eyes never broke contact, and Hinata pressed his burning forehead to Kageyama’s.

“Just shut up and stay here...okay?” Hinata pleaded as his grip on the other’s shirt loosened. “I know that I'm being selfish keeping you here, but for once I want you to watch me.”

Kageyama felt his heart pound at the declaration, lips parted but nothing coming out.

Hinata smiled, shutting his eyes as he shook his head. “Even now you make a funny face,” he whispered. Hinata looked away first, pulling the blanket over his head and curling up once again.

The buzzing of the heater in Hinata’s room was Kageyama’s only solace from an awkward silence.

 _‘What the hell is happening with him. He switches moods faster than when he is healthy,’_ he thought, wiping some sweat from his brow. Hinata had him on edge no matter what he did.

It was nerve-wracking.

“Besides,” Hinata continued, voice muffled from beneath the blanket. “I'm older now. I should be able to take care of myself. My mother and sister depend on me, it shouldn’t be the other way around.”

Kageyama eyed the lump on the bed, though he could see small bits of Hinata’s hair poking out from his makeshift shield. “You shouldn’t have to be alone, though,” Kageyama said, placing a hand on the top of Hinata’s covered head. The ginger shifted from beneath his covers.

"I can be alone while sick...it isn't too bad."

"Then why were you so concerned about me leaving?"

Silence.

“I wasn’t,” Hinata defended, the pitch higher than usual. Kageyama found that the change in tone amused him considering how serious Hinata had been only a few minutes before. He would tease Hinata enough when he got better, and so chuckled quietly.

"Get some sleep.” Kageyama murmured, moving his hand from Hinata’s head to his back. He rubbed circles—or at least, tried to, considering comfort was still a foreign concept—on his back gently. “I'll be here, alright? Practice is every day, but if I left you now I wouldn't be able to even concentrate on setting. So hurry up and get better."

Hinata didn't respond, but Kageyama could hear his heavy breathing.

He wondered if his partner had fallen asleep or if he was simply too tired to respond. After a few minutes, the lump that was Hinata shifted from underneath the blanket again. He peeked his head out for two reasons. The first reason was to get some much-needed air in his lungs, and the second was to look at Kageyama.

"Thank you."

Kageyama sat up at the words, never having heard Hinata use a tone like that one toward him. The look in his eyes was also new, causing his heart to kick start and his brain to shut down momentarily.

Hinata was... _cute_.

The ginger himself returned to the cocoon that was his blanket, back turned to the setter so he wouldn’t see the watery eyes and a small smile on his lips.

* * *

Kageyama watched Hinata with narrowed eyes, making sure that no signs of sick Hinata remained. His eyes kept going back to his partner’s lips regardless of where he started. It was infuriating.

“What?” Hinata demanded, frowning and raising a hand to his face. “Is there something on my face?”

Kageyama huffed and looked away, shaking his head. The ginger didn’t seem to remember much except leaving the club room and waking up the day after.

The setter himself, on the other hand, found that he couldn’t forget how accidentally flirty the other had been in his fever haze. He certainly couldn’t forget how Hinata had kissed him and then acted like nothing happened, either.

“No, you just look a lot better,” Kageyama lied, hands in his jacket pockets as they walked to school. Hinata grinned, nodding his head happily.

“I feel a lot better too,” Hinata assured. “So get ready to send me a lot of tosses.”

“That should have been obvious considering how much trouble you caused,” Kageyama murmured, earning a slap on the shoulder from his teammate. “But answer me a few questions,” he bargained, stopping to look down at him.

Hinata tilted his head, nodding without a second thought. “Sure, let me know what is on your mind, Bakageyama.”

“Why do you have so many medicines for headaches? Why didn’t you tell your mother you were sick? Why are you so focused on being alone while you are sick?”

With each new question, Hinata grew more and more surprised, rubbing his shoulder awkwardly. “Ah, well. I get headaches because I don’t sleep often when I'm nervous, so those are there in case they pop up. I don’t really take them as often anymore.” he assured. “As for my mom, she had a really important business meeting that day, so I didn’t want her to be late or have to cancel. Natsu was at a friend’s house and if she came home early she probably could have gotten sick too,” he said, tapping his chin. “And I'm usually alone when I am sick, so it isn’t too big a deal,” Hinata said with a bright smile. “I sleep it off half the time, anyway.”

Kageyama frowned, wondering if Hinata was saying that as a way to make him stop worrying or to try and convince himself it was the truth.

_I'm trying! Just shut up and stay here...okay?! I know I am selfish for keeping you here, but for once I want you to watch me._

Kageyama let out a breath, accepting the answers and beginning his walk towards the school again. Hinata followed happily, though Kageyama had one final question. “How long have you wanted me to watch you, Hinata?”

The shorter male, hummed, waving his bookbag as he walked. “I don’t know. Since we became teammates, I guess. I wanted you to see that I was working hard so that you could find me usef—” Hinata froze, eyes growing wide as his face turned beet red. His lips quivered, the word ‘What’ unable to vocalize.

The setter smirked. “You don’t need to get sick for me to watch you,” he said as casually as he could, admiring how Hinata’s face bloomed into a whole new color.

“I didn’t get sick for you!” Hinata argued, huffing. “If I could never get sick, I wouldn’t! I hate worrying people.”

Kageyama raised a brow, grabbing Hinata’s head with the death claw he called a hand. "Then next time tell us you are sick so we don’t find out that you passed out in class," he said with his scary smile, the anger radiating off him in waves.

“I will! I…” Hinata paused again, though instead of shock, curiosity lit spread through his brown eyes. "Were you actually worried...?" he asked bashfully, a teasing smile appearing on his lips. “The oh-so-cold Kageyama has a heart~?”

The taller male scowled and hit him across the back of the head.

"Ow!" the ginger whined, holding the area defensively.

"Of course I was worried!” Kageyama growled, “Why else would I force you to go home? Do you know how bad that things could have been if you had passed out in the middle of the street, or while you were going up that mountain? Think about these things the next time you decide not to _worry_ anyone," he scolded. He breathed heavily after his rant, Hinata shifting from foot to foot as he processed the warning.

 _‘Damnit. He managed to get a rise out of me again’_ Kageyama thought.

"Do you perhaps like me more than you let on, Kageyama- _kun_?" he asked, eyes glinting in amusement. Hinata was leaning up on his toes, nose nearly touching Kageyama’s own. “How flattering!”

Kageyama's patience snapped as he lunged at his partner, the other squeaking and running off towards the gym. He ran after Hinata, shouting profanities and insults the entire way. When he ran out of insults, the threats poured out. This only egged Hinata to speed up and keep running.

With the threat of his losing his life, Hinata arrived at the gym first, panting heavily and offering a thumbs up towards Kageyama. The setter glowered at him. When he was sure that Kageyama wasn't going to kill him, he sat to catch his breath, leaning against the cool wall.

Kageyama plopped beside him, all traces of anger gone, but some traces of his embarrassment still evident on his cheeks. "That doesn't count," he stated as Hinata waved a hand.

"Of course it does!"

The setter was silent for a moment, smirking and turning to look Hinata in the eye. “You know, while you were sick, you were _so_ emotional,” Kageyama started. “You were nearly crying and kept asking me to stay but also scolding me for not practicing...such a difficult sick person.”

Hinata eyed him in horror, lips parting and heart beginning to pound. “W-What did I say?” he demanded, Kageyama humming as he tapped his chin.

He ran a hand through his hair so it was messy in a way similar to Hinata's when the ginger had been sick. He put on the goofiest face he could manage,"'Just shut up and _stay_ here! I know I'm selfish for keeping you. Only watch _me…,”_ he paraphrased. “That is about the gist of it...but let us not forget how you grabbed me and forced me to stay with yo—”

Hinata grabbed his collar and yanked him forward. "You're using my sick words against me!” he whined, shaking his head. “That is totally cheating!”

Kageyama paused his speech to gaze at Hinata who had his eyes closed in pure embarrassment. He swallowed hard, not having seen Hinata up this close since the week before when he had pressed his forehead to his own. Hinata’s eyes opened, brown meeting blue once again.

Hinata watched Kageyama’s face a small smile appearing on his lips.“Heh, what is with that funny face?” he teased, though the amusement was short lived. The expression fell and was replaced with one that was conflicted. By the way Hinata diverted his eyes, Kageyama wondered if the ginger had managed to remember something.  His partner’s hands loosened on the collar until he let go completely, placing his hands on his lap. Hinata shifted nervously.

Kageyama couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Hinata, finding that sick Hinata being cute wasn’t a fluke after all. The healthy Hinata was cute, if not much cuter than his sick counterpart.

“D-Don’t tell anyone I said that. When I am sick I am not in my right mind,” Hinata tried to explain. He turned to look at Kageyama from the corner of his eye, about to continue but frowning instead. “You're all red, Bakageyama. You didn’t catch my illness, did you?” he asked with wide eyes.

A vein formed in Kageyama's forehead as he let out a breath of disbelief. Instead of yelling at Hinata for the stupid assumption out of habit, Kageyama remained silent. This freaked out Hinata more than if he had shouted, and the ginger leaned forward.

“You can’t get sick, alright?” Hinata said, brown eyes serious. “The team needs you in perfect health.”

“They need you too, you idiot,” Kageyama responded instantly. He leaned in close and paused when only a small gap remained between him and his partner. His eyes scanned Hinata’s expression for any fear or hesitation, though when he found none he took in a deep breath. All he discovered was a dangerous curiosity, scattered freckles, and the specks of light brown in Hinata’s eyes.

He let out an amused breath, closing the gap and pressing his lips to Hinata’s softly. He analyzed the feeling that moved throughout his entire body, concerned about whether wanting to pull Hinata closer was a normal reaction or not.

Kageyama broke the kiss after a few seconds, opening his eyes slowly. He could have sworn that when he pulled away, Hinata almost followed him for another kiss. The two watched each other silently for a few moments, processing what the kiss meant and what would happen if they continued to behave in a way other than platonic. “I’m not sick,” Kageyama promised, "But perhaps I am coming down with something else," he murmured.

Hinata scooted closer to him. “M-me too,” he whispered, catching Kageyama’s attention only to press a quick kiss to his lips as a response to the first. He covered his face with his hands afterward, trying to calm the rate of his heartbeat.

After a few minutes, he parted his fingers, peeking through the cracks. Kageyama was smiling softly at him, the blue color looking oddly charming. Hinata wasn’t sure if he was more surprised that the smile wasn’t scary, or if it was a smile directed towards him. He usually only received insults on his volleyball skills and death-grips.

This was new, but not unpleasant.

He smiled back at the setter, eyes forming crescents.

Kageyama smiled wider at the reaction and reached out, grabbing one of Hinata’s hands to lace with his own. “I suck at a lot of things, so don’t expect too much out of me,” he warned as Hinata rolled his eyes.

“I expect you to send me tosses,” he said simply, looking away with a bright smile. “Some kisses every now and then don’t sound too bad, though.”

Kageyama snorted, squeezing Hinata’s warm hand in his own.

“Deal.”

 


End file.
